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Cited by 56Primate Behavior and EcologyCognitive Abilities and TestingChild and Animal Learning Development

A Modular Mind? A Test Using Individual Data from Seven Primate Species

Open access
Amici, Federica, Barney, Bradley, Johnson, Valen E., Call, Josep, Aureli, Filippo·2012·PLoS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0051918PMC PMC3526483
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Abstract

It has long been debated whether the mind consists of specialized and independently evolving modules, or whether and to what extent a general factor accounts for the variance in performance across different cognitive domains. In this study, we used a hierarchical Bayesian model to re-analyse individual level data collected on seven primate species (chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, spider monkeys, brown capuchin monkeys and long-tailed macaques) across 17 tasks within four domains (inhibition, memory, transposition and support). Our modelling approach evidenced the existence of both a domain-specific factor and a species factor, each accounting for the same amount (17%) of the observed variance. In contrast, inter-individual differences played a minimal role. These results support the hypothesis that the mind of primates is (at least partially) modular, with domain-specific cognitive skills undergoing different evolutionary pressures in different species in response to specific ecological and social demands.

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  • We know of no studies of primate cognition that needed to control for sex.

    “We do not expect this to be important because we know of no studies of primate cognition that needed to control for sex [e.g., Amici et al., 2012;Hopkins et al., 2014;Damerius et al., 2017; see also Arden and Adams, 2016, for dogs].”

    From A Farewell to the Encephalization Quotient: A New Brain Size Measure for Comparative Primate Cognition (2021) · cites this paper as Amici et al., 2012

    The Subjects section (page unavailable) says the study included primates of both sexes, and Data Analysis (page unavailable) lists model effects without sex. This supports citing Amici et al. as an example of a primate-cognition study that did not control for sex, but the paper does not establish that controlling for sex was unnecessary. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The effect of social and ecological complexity may be limited to influencing more specialized, and potentially domain-specific, forms of cognition.

    “Our findings suggest that the effect of social and ecological complexity may be limited to influencing more specialized, and potentially domain-specific forms of cognition (188-196).”

    From The evolution of self-control. (2014) · cites this paper as [196]

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [8]Kolata S, Light K, Matzel LD (2008) General and domain-specific cognitive abilities in heterogeneous stock mice. Intell 36: 619– 629. PMC2614349 19129932
  2. [17]Sperber D (1996) Explaining culture. Oxford: Blackwell. 175 p.
  3. [32]Barton R (1999) Brain size, ecology and neural specialisation in primates. In Lee PC, editor. Comparative primate socioecology Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 167–194.

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Authors
Amici, F., Barney, B., Johnson, V. E., Call, J., & Aureli, F.
Affiliations
  • Max Planck Society (DE)
  • Kennesaw State University (US)
  • The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (US)
  • Universidad Veracruzana (MX)
Corresponding author
Amici, Federica
ORCID
Venue
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2012-12-19
Volume
7
Issue
12
Pages
e51918
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0051918
PMC
PMC3526483
OpenAlex
W2063904143
Cited by
56
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 2
FWCI
4.33
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DigitalCommons - Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw State University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Greater South Information System
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
modularity of mind, domain-specific cognition, general intelligence, primate cognition, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys, Macaca fascicularis, inhibition, memory, transposition, individual differences, species differences
MeSH terms
Animals, Cebus, Pan troglodytes, Female, Gorilla gorilla, Individuality, Male, Mental Processes, Models, Psychological, Primates, Pan paniscus, Atelinae, Pongo

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